Mother nature knows best

Every cloth diapering mama knows that her best accessory is a clothes line. You just can't beat the fresh air smell on crisp, clean clothes that have been hung out to dry on a clothes line. Of course, in our part of the world, the icy, cold, dark days of winter are an inevitability and during those months, the clothes line doesn't have much dangling from it except for a few icicles. Yes, winter can be tough on cloth diapers. So can prunes. Put those two elements together and you can imagine the state of my microfiber inserts right now.

All winter long, I've been soaking my diapers in RLR Washing Soda, Rockin' Green Funk Rock, baking soda, you name it. My once beautiful, bright, white diapers and inserts have become dingy, stained and there is a faint odour that clings to them no matter what. I have found the RLR to be very effective, and yet... my dipes, they be yellow. After a while, nothing seems to work. Lucky for us, spring comes around at least once a year and with it comes sunshine. With sunshine comes the natural bleaching power of Mother Nature. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will get your diapers whiter, cleaner or fresher than hanging them out in the sun. I have heard from cloth mamas who don't have clothes lines that they hang them out on their balconies, out their windows and one savvy chick even takes hers to the beach!

This past weekend has been absolutely gorgeous here in Southern Ontario, and so I decided to take some photos of my dingiest, darkest stained diapers and inserts for a little before and after extravaganza. Seeing is believing, and I am sure that once this week is through, the super powers of the sun will have returned my diapers to their former glory.

Oh, and get yourself a clothes line. Aside from the wonders it will do for your diapers, the money that you save by not running your dryer constantly will amaze you. I grew up in the country, and they say every country girl needs a clothes line- though they are popping up all over cities now. Apparently they're very chic and green. I love how everything that is a part of the Green trend is really just the old-fashioned stuff our grandmothers used to do that people got away from, and now are coming back home to. Live in an apartment or condo? No problem- there are kits available for small lines, too. Really, all you need is a cord and a bag of clothes pins which you can buy at the dollar store.

Stay tuned for pics of my before and after sun bleaching science project.

Happy hanging!

Diadima xo

GroVia Bonanza and Rockin' Green test drive

Hello cloth mamas!

I know, I know...it's been a while. I've been delinquent. Dear baby is teething and ill with Roseola, which of course, has been cutting into my blog time.

This is just a quick post to let everyone know about the great sale that GroVia has authorized at all of their retailers for the entire month of April. If you buy three GroVia diapers- the shells (diaper covers), shell sets (diaper cover + insert) or all-in-ones, you get one diaper free. I heard from a little bird that GroVia is discontinuing their shell sets, which are an excellent value, so if you are thinking of getting them, now is the time to buy. Check with your local diaper retailer to make sure that they're in on the sale and get shopping, mamas!

In other news- I was at my local diaper retailer this evening and I noticed that they were selling sample sized packs of Rockin' Green. Previously, I didn't know these were available. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I use Claudia's Choices detergent, which is a great brand. I've been eyeing up the Rockin' Green lately because A) It comes in a hard water formula (and I have hard water) and B) It comes in delish fragrances. I've been hesitant to buy a bag because it's $22 for a medium sized bag that wouldn't last me half as long as Claudia's does. My dear baby is 6 1/2 months old and I'm still using the first pail that I bought before he was born. So imagine my pleasure when I saw that I could try it out with a single-use packet that sells for $1.75 at my diaper retailer. Perfect! I picked up three single-use packets in the Hard Rock formula (for hard water) in the fragrances "Motley Clean", "Smashing Watermelons" and "Mighty Mighty Marshmallow". I'll post a review at the end of the week to let everyone know what I thought of this boutique detergent, so stay tuned!

Diadima xo

Get the funk out

There comes a time in every cloth mama and papa's adventure when you need to address a little thing known as "the stinkies".

Oh, yes.

The stinkies.

If you're wondering what the stinkies are, then you're still safe. Trust me, when it happens, you'll know. When dear baby wets his diaper, you'll notice it's quite smelly when you take it off. When you crack that diaper lid on wash day and your eyes start to water as if you're dicing an onion, you know you've got the stinkies. For whatever reason, it seems to be more of an issue for microfiber inserts. Not surprisingly, synthetic fibers trap the ammonia smell more intensely than organic cotton, hemp or bamboo fibers.

There are a few things you can do to get the ammonia out of your diapers. Washing them frequently, adding vinegar to the rinse cycle and storing your diaper pail in a relatively cool spot (warmth increases the intensity of the ammonia smell) will all help the problem.

I have used vinegar in the rinse cycle a few times and it works well, especially for prefolds. However, if you have hard water, vinegar may not solve your problem. Also, microfiber can be a tough nut to crack when it comes to ammonia, so if you feel that you need something a little more aggressive, I would recommend that you try a product made by Rockin' Green detergent called Funk Rock Ammonia Blaster. I personally have had excellent results with this product. I've mentioned Rockin' Green in previous posts; their detergents are made with all-natural ingredients and THEY WORK. As I've said, they aren't cheap- but then again, neither are your cloth diapers and you want to keep them in good condition so that they will last from infancy to potty-training. The Rockin' Green website describes their products perfectly, so rather than losing some of the beauty through paraphrase, here is what they have to say about Funk Rock:

"This 100% natural compound is unlike anything you've tried before. It targets funk at the source and leaves no prisoners. Just four tablespoons is enough to de-funk up to 20 diapers in one sitting. Add a little to your pre-wash to keep the stinkies from coming back. That's right, one little bag will keep the diaper funk away for over a month!"

So there you have it, folks. You can attack the funk and stay green while doing it.

Diadima xo